The Arctic Building is associated with one of the lesser-known facets of the
Klondike gold rush--the formation of social institutions for the men
who returned from the Yukon gold rush after "striking it rich."
Though most who headed north found no gold, a small percentage did return
to Seattle with more than just memories. The Arctic Club, originally
located in the Morrison Hotel, provided an exclusive social community
for those Seattlites who had returned from the Alaska Gold Rush with
money in their pockets and a repertoire of stories to tell about their
adventures in the Yukon. In 1916, they commissioned A. Warren Gould,
one of the city's most prominent architects, to design the building
that would become their institution's new home.

Gould created an eight-story building true to the club's origins: fine
Alaskan marble covered its main corridors and walrus heads ran around
the third-floor exterior. The Arctic Building was one of the earliest
to use terra cotta panels placed over a steel reinforced concrete frame;
however, unlike other early users of this technique (such as the Hoge
Building), the Arctic Building sported not just off-white panels
but also used submarine blue and orange-brown. The club's elegant interior
included a ladies' tea room, private dining rooms, billiard and card
rooms, a bowling alley, barber shop and private roof garden. The formal
dining room, however, was always the focal point of the club, its stuccoed
ceilings, which were artistically frescoed, the ornamented cornices
and beautiful chandeliers speak of the rich history and foundations
of this building. From its opening, the building also offered commercial
space, but now offices have taken over the entire building including
those floors once reserved for Arctic Club members. Despite its new
use, the Alaskan marble and sculptured walrus heads still proclaim the
building's origins--one part of the prosperity Klondike gold brought
to Seattle.